Grapefruit knife



y 1953 D. s. CONKLIN 2,537,899

GRAPEFRUIT KNIFE Filed June 24, 1947 INVENTOR. DEAN s. CONKLIN ,qrrulmrv! Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRAPEFRUIT KNIFE Dean S. Conklin, North Hollywood,"Ca1if., as-

signor to Gonklin Products Gorporation, Les Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application June .24, 1947', Serial No. 756,600

(Cl. fill-24) 13' Claims.

The present invention relates to a grapefruit knife.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved knife for cutting the meat sections out of the grapefruit which are normally disposed between the webs and rind.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved grapefruit knife characterized by its simplicity of parts which may be made and assembled in accordance with present day mass production methods.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved grapefruit knife which... when used, requires no effort, produces no squirting of the grapefruit juice and leaves no mess and which requires a minimum amount of time to free the sections of the grapefruit from the web and rind.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved grapefruit knife when used, simultaneously serves to cut a grapefruit section free from its firmly attached adjace'nt web and rind.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. This invention itself, both as to its organization and man-- ner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof. may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying. drawings in which:

Figure '1 is a top plan view, substantially to scale, of a complete grapefruit knife embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view inside elevation of the knife shown in Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 indicate the manner in which the knife is used to free a section of a grapefruit from its normally attached web rind.

The grapefruit knife includes a pair o-f'stainless steel members 1.0. H formed fromsheet ma terial, each of which has a curved cutting edge I A, 1 IA arranged to free a section of grapefruit from its web and a second cutting edge NB, NB respectively on ears IDC, l IC arranged to free a section of grapefruit from its normally attached. rind. The two pairs of cutting edges IDA, H313 form one pair and. edges HA, 5B form the other pair being at an acute angle with respect to one another in an amount indicated in. Figure 2 and also terminating in points IBD and I lD respectively.

Adjacent ends of the pair of stainless steel sheet members I0, H may be anchoredin mm ing dimples or projections HIE, i-IE to insure such minimum spacing of one eighth inch. The members Hi, It themselves are sufficiently flexible to allow their separation when, for example, the web of a grapefruit engages and passes past the dimple portions when the knife is used as indicated in Figures 3 and 4.

Each of the members iii, II has an ear 196, MC, the outer edge of which is sharpened to form the cutting edge NB, NB respectively. These ears NC, NC are preferably formed from the same sheet material as are the members H), H.

In the commencement of a cutting operation, the points 16D, MD are inserted immediately adjacent the grapefruit rindon opposite sides of the grapefruit web as indicated in Figure 3.

Upon further insertion of the cutting knife with the member's H], II on adjacent sides of the web, the cutting edges 16A, HA sever the adjacent grapefruit sections from such web and simultaneously the cutting edges NIB, i IB sever such section's free from the adjacent rind.

After the knife has penetrated to the position indicated in Figure 4, there is a tendency for the two members I0, 11' to be pressed together due' to the wedge action of the cutting ear members [00,, 'llQbut, however, the members In, H maintain spaced at approximately of an inch by the dimple portions 10E, HE. The maintenance of this spacing is desirable for otherwise the cutting edges HlD, .HD may cut the web in the last stages of the cutting operation. Preferably this spacing is maintained by dimple members BE, ME since there is a resulting contact of minimum area which does not interfere substantially with the passage of the Web of a grapefruit therebetween.

Preferably, the ear members NC, C have substantially the precise shape and dimensions shown in Figure 2 these ear members WC, MC being essentially triangular with the base NF, HF of the triangle rounded to permit easy With drawal of the knife after a cutting operation.

Of importance is the curved nature of the cutting edges HA, HA, for example, the cutting edge 11 IA being substantially straight from the 3 tip HD to a point adjacent the dimple HE and thereafter having a radius of approximately 1.28 inches.

Of importance also is that the curvature of the cutting edges IOB, HB lie on a radius of approximately 2 inches. The length of the cutting ear is also rather important and has a length of substantially equal to one inch, plus the radius of the base IOF, I IF which is of an inch.

The various cutting edges may be provided by grinding the upper edges of the members or may be provided by a swaging operation.

While the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A grapefruit knife with a handle comprising a pair of parallelly disposed sheet members each having one of their adjacent ends anchored in. the handle and the other one of their adjacent ends joined to integrally formed contiguous lateral outwardly extending cutting ears, said ears being generally triangular in shape with a first side of the triangle corresponding to the junction of a cutting ear with the corresponding contiguous sheet member, a second side of the triangle extending generally perpendicular to the plane of the sheet member, and a third side of said triangle comprising an angular cutting edge extending towards and blending in with the edge of the corresponding sheet member, said angular cutting edge defining an acute angle with the plane of the corresponding sheet member.

2. A grapefruit knife comprising a sheet member with a curved cutting edge thereon, said sheet member having an ear extending laterally therefrom substantially perpendicular to the plane of said member at the end of said member, said ear having an angular cutting edge thereon, said cutting edges being contiguous and terminating in a point, said ear being generally triangular in shape with a first side of the triangle corresponding to the junction of a corresponding ear with the corresponding contiguous sheet member, a second side of the triangle extending generally perpendicular to the plane of the sheet member, and a third side of said triangle comprising said angular cutting edge extending towards and blending in with said edge of said sheet member at said point, said angular cutting edge defining an acute angle with the plane of said sheet member.

3. A grapefruit knife comprising a pair of sheet metal members supported as a cantilever, coperative stop means normally in engagement between said members maintaining their distance of separation greater than a predetermined minimum distance, said members each having an ear extending laterally and outwardly therefrom at their tip ends, each of said ears having a cutting edge thereon, the cutting edge of each of said members and a cutting edge on the corresponding ear being contiguous and terminating in a point, said stop means being engageable substantially on a point contact, each of said ears being generally triangular in shape with a first side of the triangle corresponding to the junction of a corresponding ear with the corresponding sheet member, a second side of the triangle extending generally perpendicular to the plane of the corresponding sheet member, and a third side of said triangle comprising said cutting edge of the ear and extending towards and blending in with the cutting edge of the corresponding sheet member, said cutting edge on the car being angular and defining an acute angle with the plane of the corresponding sheet member.

4. A grapefruit knife comprising a pair of spaced curved cutting blades each having a laterally extending cutting ear at its tip, each blade having a cutting edge thereon arranged to separate a grapefruit section from its attached web and each ear having an angular cutting edge thereon contiguous to the cutting edge of the corresponding blade to out said grapefruit section free from its attached rind, each of said ears being generally triangular in shape with a first side of the triangl corresponding to the junction of a corresponding ear with the corresponding curved cutting blade, a second side of the triangle extending generally perpendicular to the plane of the corresponding curved cutting blade, and a third side of said triangle comprising said angular cutting edge of said car which extends towards and blends in with the cutting edge of the corresponding blade, said angular cutting edge of the ear defining an acute angle with the plane of the corresponding blade.

5. A grapefruit knife comprising a pair of spaced curved knife blades having normally engaged cooperative stop means therebetween engageable substantially on a point contact and normally maintaining them spaced a distance greater than a predetermined minimum distance but allowing their separation when the Web of a grapefruit passes therebetween, each one of said curved knife blades having disposed on its tip end an integrally formed contiguous cutting ear, said car being generally triangular in shape with a first side of the triangle corresponding to the junction of a corresponding ear with the corresponding knife blade, a second side of the triangle extending generally perpendicular to the plane of the knife blade, and a third side of said triangle comprising an angular cutting edge extending towards and blending in with the edge of the corresponding knife blade at the apex of said triangle, said angular cutting edge defining an acute angle with the plane of the corresponding knife blade, said second side of said triangle comprising the base of the triangle and being rounded to permit easy withdrawal of the composite grapefruit knife after a cutting operation.

6. A grapefruit knife as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pair of parallelly disposed sheet members each have a cutting edge which extends generally forwardly and downwardly from said handle and terminates at corresponding apexes of said triangular ears.

'7. The grapefruit knife set forth in claim 2 in which the curved cutting edge of said sheet member extends generally forwardly and downwardly and terminates at the apex of said triangular ear.

8. The grapefruit knife set forth in claim 3 in which said pair of sheet metal members each have a curved cutting edge which extends generally forwardly and downwardly and terminates at a corresponding apex of said triangular ear. 9. The grapefruit knife set forth in claim 4 in which said pair of spaced curved cutting blades have cutting edges thereon which extend generally forwardly and downwardly and terminate at corresponding apexes of said triangular ears- 10. The grapefruit knife set forth in claim 5 in which said pair of spaced curved cutting blades each having cutting edges thereon which extend generally forwardly and downwardly and terminate at corresponding apexes of said triangular ears.

11. An article of the class described comprising a pair of parallel planes, each plane having a cutting edge, the lower front portions of said planes being bent substantially at right angles to said planes and formed into two narrow cutting blades attached to said planes only at their forward portions and extending rearwardly in expanding lines therefrom and slightly curved upward on their rearward extensions.

12. An article of the class described comprising a handle portion, two parallel planes joined to said handle portion, each plane having a cutting edge, the lower front portions of said planes being bent substantially at right angles to said planes and formed into two narrow cutting blades attached to said planes only at their forward portions and extending rearward in expanding 6 lines therefrom and slightly curved upward on their rearward extensions.

13. An article of the class described comprising two bladelike elements of extreme thinness defining two parallel planes, each plane having a cutting edge, the lower front portions of said planes being bent substantially at right angles to said planes and formed into two narrow cutting blades attached to said planes only at their forward portions and extending rearward in expanding lines therefrom, and slightly curved upward on their rearward extensions.

DEAN S. CONKLIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 654,008 Kirkland July 17, 1900 1,115,001 Merrill Oct. 27, 1914 2,051,680 Collins Aug. 18, 1936 2,503,475 Foerster Apr. 11, 1950 2,520,082 Ayers Aug. 22, 1950 2,521,622 Andree Sept. 5, 1950 

